Belleek

Belleek china was made in Ireland, other European countries, and the United States. The glaze is creamy yellow and appears wet. The first Belleek was made in 1857. All pieces listed here are Irish Belleek. The mark changed through the years. The first mark, black, dates from 1863 to 1890. The second mark, black, dates from 1891 to 1926 and includes the words Co. Fermanagh, Ireland. The third mark, black, dates from 1926 to 1946 and has the words Deanta in Eirinn. The fourth mark, same as the third mark but green, dates from 1946 to 1955. The fifth mark (second green mark) dates from 1955 to 1965 and has an R in a circle added in the upper right. The sixth mark (third green mark) dates from 1965 to 1981 and the words Co. Fermanagh have been omitted. The seventh mark, gold, was used from 1981 to 1992 and omits the words Deanta in Eirinn. The eighth mark, used from 1993 to 1996, is similar to the second mark but is printed in blue. The ninth mark, blue, includes the words Est. 1857 and the words Co. Fermanagh Ireland are omitted. The tenth mark, black, is similar to the ninth mark but includes the words Millennium 2000 and Ireland. It was used only in 2000. The eleventh mark, similar to the millennium mark but green, was introduced in 2001. The twelfth mark, black, is similar to the eleventh mark but has a banner above the mark with the words "Celebrating 150 Years." It was used in 2007. The thirteenth trademark, used from 2008 to 2010, is similar to the twelfth but is brown and has no banner. The fourteenth mark, the Classic Belleek trademark, is similar to the twelfth but includes Belleek's website address. The Belleek Living trademark was introduced in 2010 and is used on items from that giftware line. The word Belleek is now used only on the pieces made in Ireland even though earlier pieces from other countries were sometimes marked belleek. These early pieces are listed by manufacturer, such as Ceramic Art Co., Haviland, Lenox, Ott & Brewer, and Willets. The courts ruled in 1929 that only the Irish company could use the word Belleek with a capital "B." Others are required to use belleek with a lowercase "b."